Prayers for a Lifetime

by Karl Rahner

Great theologians are often great teachers of prayer as well. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoefferand Karl Rahner. This personal book, composed over a lifetime, is the fruit of rich human experience, deep faith, and profound theological reflection.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality, Prayer, Christianity

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Karl Rahner, SJ (March 5, 1904 — March 30, 1984) was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century.

He was born in Freiburg, Germany, and died in Innsbruck, Austria.

Before the Second Vatican Council, Rahner had worked alongside Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac and Marie-Dominique Chenu, theologians associated with an emerging school of thought called the Nouvelle Théologie, elements of which had been criticized in the encyclical Humani Generis of Pope Pius XII.

Reviews

[Josh Issa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theology and breadth of this book of compiled prayers is astounding, and you really get a sense of Rahner’s interior life. However, the third section “In the Holy Spirit” really feels more monotonous than anything with no real connection to the Holy Spirit, limiting the Trinitarian aim of this compilation.

[Samcwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book for most people. Should be read slowly and in print. Includes much of what is found in Encounters with Silence, but has some other great prayers. I’m going to stick reading Encounter with Silence on a regular basis, but this one was a good thoughtful read.

[Hugh A. Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional, reflective and, I would say, even emotional book, written by one of the great theological minds of the century. Rahner's theological efforts can fill a bookshelf and one has to be well versed in the intricacies of modern theology to get through them (Karl's brother Hugo, himself a deep thinker, told their mother Karl's writings were so abstruse that when he retired he was going to 'translate' Karl's books into German so others could figure out what he was saying).

Prayers for a Lifetime is completely different. Written from his heart, informed by his mind, my thoughts seem to travel with him through his doubts, fears, difficulties and insights. It is not a book to hurry through; it took me a year, for one begins to pray with him, finding affinity and hope with words that continue to tumble through your brain and find pathways into your own prayer.

[Sarah Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, wide-ranging, and thought provoking collection of prayers.

[Jim Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of meditations written by the author. I found many of them to be filled with meaningful insights. They provide rich material for personal reflection.